


Something Magical

by CJCroen1393



Series: Eddsworld at Hogwarts [2]
Category: Eddsworld - All Media Types, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, Gen, Hogwarts Express, School Shopping, Some focus on the boys' moms too, Wands
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-12-28 02:51:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21129563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CJCroen1393/pseuds/CJCroen1393
Summary: Mrs. Gold had always known there was something magical about her son, just as there was for her daughter before him.





	Something Magical

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I finally finished this story! Now I can try working on "Welcome Home Tord" again and continue this AU later!
> 
> Yes there will be more of this AU and I still want to turn it into an ask blog sometime! I'm just ambivalent about making another email and having to switch between logins for it.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy this story, which takes place before the previous one!

Mrs. Gold first realized the truth when she noticed her eight-year-old son, Edd, drawing on the walls.

She had initially been frustrated, because she had thought they had managed to get him to stop doing such things...but when she asked him why he was doing it, he gave the most perplexing answer...

"The drawings _wanted_ to be on the wall."

Mrs. Gold would've been worried, until she took a closer look at the drawings...and she realized that they were _moving_.

\----

"Guys! Guys!" said the eight-year-old Edd, rushing over to his friends, Tom, Tord and Matt, "Guess what?"

"What is it, Edd?" asked Tom, looking up from his "How To Pretend You're Reading" book.

"I'm magic!" said Edd, happily.

"Wait, really?" asked Tord, looking shocked.

"Yeah! I'm just like you guys! And when we're older, we'll all be going to school together!"

"Congratulations, Edd!" said Matt, happily as he hugged Edd.

"So when do I get my letter?" asked Edd, beaming.

"You have to be ten or eleven years old," said Tom, leaning back and adjusting his dark sunglasses which were concealing his black eyes; Edd always hated how much Tom tended to hide his eyes, but he understood why he did it--he was afraid people would think he was evil, "so you have like, two or three years. And since you're a Muggleborn, you _won't_ get a letter. Someone from the school is going to come over and talk to your mom instead."

"Aww, really?" asked Edd, looking disappointed, "I wanted to go now!"

"Hey, look at it this way, Edd," said Tord, "we're not going to be going to the school until then either."

After a pause, Edd shrugged, then pulled out a sketch book.

"You guys wanna see me draw pictures that move?"

"Totally!" said Matt, "Bet I can shapeshift into one of the characters you draw!"

The four of them played happily for the rest of the afternoon.

\----

Sure enough, Edd's family got a visit from Headmistress Minerva McGonagall. She was a tall, elderly woman dressed in the extravagant robes of those who would be in the magical realm. Edd was more excited than he ever could be. His mother smiled at him and patted his head as she allowed the Headmistress to enter the house.

"Now Mrs. Gold," said McGonagall, sitting across from Edd and his mother in the living room, "I know that this may be somewhat...unsual, but I'm sure I can explain it as well as-"

"There may not be that much of a need for that, professor," said Edd's mother.

"Oh?"

"I...I've known about the Magical World for a long time."

She pulled a photograph from her pocket and handed it to McGonagall. It was an ordinary muggle photograph, of course, with contents that do not move. The photo showed Edd's mother, accompanied by her son, three other women and their sons. 

"These women are all witches," she said, smiling, "This one is Tom's mother, Mrs. Thompson."

She pointed to a short woman wearing sunglasses, holding a little boy with spiky hair and wearing sunglasses of his own.

"She and her son both have...interesting eyes and they have to conceal them to be around muggles. This one," she pointed to a brown-haired woman in a purple dress, accompanied by a little boy with long red hair and an oddly strong looking chin, "is Mrs. Hardwick. She's Matt's mother who demonstrated her magic the day I met her. I think she was trying to impress me and my husband at the time."

Edd giggled and McGonagall smiled. Edd's mother went on.

"And this one," she pointed to a woman with light hair and holding the hand of a boy with brown hair and wearing a red shirt, "is Mrs. Larker. She's a potion expert from Norway and her son, despite being magic, has a strong fascination with muggle technology. And not only this, but my eldest daughter..."

She pulled out another, also unmoving photograph from her pocket, featuring a young woman.

"She's a witch, though she doesn't go to Hogwarts. She went instead to the Wizarding Academy of Dramatic Arts."

"They're all lovely," said McGonagall, smiling at Mrs. Gold, "well, their sons are already receiving their acceptance letters, and I can see that you already have some knowledge of the Wizarding World, so then, I will keep this brief. Your son has been accepted into one of the most prestigious schools for magic in the United Kingdom. We shall assist you in getting what your son needs for his school term, if you so desire."

"Please, mum?" asked Edd, happily.

"Of course, Edd," said his mother, smiling, "when will you two be going?"

"What do you mean 'you two'?" asked McGonagall, "You shall join the trip."

"Oh?" said Edd's mother, looking surprised.

"The parents or guardians are always permitted to accompany a child on their trips to Diagon Alley. Edward's siblings can come as well, if they so wish."

Edd smiled up at his mother, who smiled back.

"Certainly."

\----

Diagon Alley was where Edd would buy all of his school supplies, along with his wand and maybe a pet. Edd and his mother had headed to the correspondence area, where they would meet with Tom, Matt, Tord and their mothers.

"Hey mum, did they tell you exactly where Diagon Alley might be?"

"No," said his mother, looking a bit irritated as she looked at the map, "It should be here...Charing Cross Road, between a book shop and a record shop...Wait, is that Matt and his mother?"

Sure enough, Mrs. Hardwick and her son were standing outside a nearby tavern, waving to the two of them.

"Edd! Mrs. Gold!" called out Matt, happily.

"Hey Matt, Mrs. Hardwick!" called out Edd as he ran up to them, his mother following along.

"Diagon Alley is this way," called Matt, pointing into the tavern, "Tom and Tord are waiting, come on!"

Mrs. Gold felt a little nervous, but she put on a smile as Edd and Matt headed into the tavern, apparently called "The Leaky Cauldron", with Mrs. Hardwick leading her in. Inside were many different people, dressed either in robes or muggle clothing, whom they passed before exiting to the alley outside the tavern.

"About time, Edd!" called out Tord, at the end of the alley, as Edd and Matt approached with their mothers in tow, "Did you get lost or something?"

"Cut him some slack, Tord," said Tom, standing next to his mother, who wore pointed, fancy-looking sunglasses "he's new to all this."

"So...where is Diagon Alley?" asked Edd.

"He _is_ new," chuckled Tord, "It's right here!"

Tord had gestured to the brick wall. Edd and Mrs. Gold looked at each other and then at the wall.

"Mom, will you do the honors?" asked Tord, grinning.

Mrs. Larker nodded and pulled out her wand. Walking up to the wall, she tapped on one of the bricks with her wand. For a moment, nothing happened, but then a small hole formed inside. And soon enough, the hole formed a large archway. Edd smiled and Mrs. Gold looked dumbstruck.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley," said Mrs. Larker with a grin.

\----

Diagon Alley was unlike anything Edd had ever seen. A cobblestone road extending into the distance with various shops on either side. 

On one side, he saw a large shop with a window display of brightly colored robes and a floating measuring tape measuring the display. Another on the other side was a book store, with books of all sizes in the window, each with cover artwork that moved. There was a dark shop with various birdcages outside, each containing an owl. Another shop had displays of large broomsticks, accompanied with large round balls and a small one with wings, flitting around. Crowds of people were bustling through the whole town, owls flitting about, objects moving on their own. 

It was all fantastic and exactly as magical as Edd had hoped it could be. 

"We need some wizarding currency, right?" asked Mrs. Gold.

"Yes!" said Mrs. Hardwick, "Larker, Thompson and I already have it, but I suppose you need to make some exchanges, right?"

Mrs. Gold nodded, as did Edd. Mrs. Hardwick laughed and said "Well we'll definitely have to head over to Gringotts Wizarding Bank!"

She pointed to a massive, multistory white marble building, imposingly looming over the entire alley. 

"Ever been there?" asked Mrs. Hardwick.

"Obviously not," said Mrs. Gold, "I only went to get wizard school supplies once before, for my daughter, and she didn't go to Hogwarts."

"Well then," said Mrs. Thompson, "we better get started. Come along boys."

The boys all joined their mothers in the enormous building, looking around to see many desks, each seated by a short humanoid creature with a dome-shaped head, long fingers and pointed noses and ears.

"Who are the short guys?" asked Edd.

"Goblins!" said Matt, "They run things here!"

"Huh." said Edd. They continued on and Mrs. Hardwick called up to one of the Goblins.

"Hello! Hello!" she called. The Goblin continued scribbling something down on his scroll.

"HELLOOOOOOO!"

"WHAT!?" shouted the Goblin.

"Our friend Mrs. Gold and her son need to get some money for the shopping trip! They need to exchange Muggle currency!"

"Ah," said the Goblin, "right this way."

"Well this should be nice and easy, then!" said Mrs. Gold.

Not long after...

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!"

All of them were crammed into a cart and riding it like a rollercoaster through the mine all the way to the first vault. The boys were enjoying themselves, their mothers not so much.

"Here we are, Vault 1!" said the lead Goblin, "Here you'll be exchanging Muggle currency for Knuts."

"Thank goodness!" said Mrs. Gold, "Okay, so we'll start shopping right after this, right?"

"Of course," said Mrs. Thompson, "right after we exchange more currency in Vaults 2 and 3."

Mrs. Gold groaned loudly, Edd and his friends burst out laughing.

After exchanging pounds for knuts, sickles and galleons, the four mothers and their children were good to go. The shopping trip had officially begun!

\----

"Did you get the list of school supplies?" asked Mrs. Thompson, as they all exited Gringotts.

"I thought you did!" said Mrs. Hardwick.

"Don't we each have one?" asked Mrs. Larker.

"I have it," said Mrs. Gold, taking the list out from her bag.

"Can I see it, mum?" asked Edd.

"Of course, dear, just be careful with it."

Edd looked at the list, and looked over it...

"We each need the school uniform-"

"Consisting of the robes, the hat, the gloves and the winter cloak!" said Matt, cheerfully.

"And they need name tags," continued Edd with a laugh, "we need our textbooks-"

"I'll get those for you boys, Edd, don't you worry about it." said Mrs. Thompson.

"You sure? You need the list?"

"Of course not," said a smiling Mrs. Thompson, "I went to Hogwarts too, you know."

"Okay, and we each need a wand, a pewter cauldron, a set of glass or crystal phials, a telescope and a set of brass scales. Oh, and we can also bring a cat, an owl or toad!"

"No one's getting a toad!" said Tom.

"Can any of you guess what we _should_ do first?" asked Mrs. Hardwick, and before anyone could answer, she responded with "Too late! We're getting your wands first!" 

"What?" asked Edd.

"I don't know why it's so low on the list of supplies! It's such an important tool for a wizard or witch, and you boys getting one would be an important rite of passage! So let's get going to Ollivanders!"

"Excellent idea, Hardwick," said Mrs. Thompson, "I'll be getting the books while you're gone-"

"NOPE!" said Mrs. Larker, grabbing her by the arm, "You're seeing your son get his wand and THEN we're getting the books."

"Ugh, fine."

The boys giggled.

\----

Ollivanders was a slightly darkened shop, stocked wall to wall with long, square boxes stacked on top of each other on the various shelves. Edd quickly deduced, of course, that these boxes contained wands. 

"Take off your glasses, Tom," said Mrs. Thompson.

"But mum-" said Tom, looking worried as his mother removed her sunglasses, revealing her pitch black eyes.

"It's fine, Tom," she said, "Mr. Ollivander has seen my eyes. He doesn't judge."

And so Tom, somewhat reluctantly, removed his sunglasses.

Standing in the middle of the gloom was an old man, with white hair and wide, pale blue eyes that gleamed like stars. He looked up at the sound of the bell that rang when the door opened and smiled.

"Ah, customers new and old," he said in a soft voice, "come in, come in. Welcome to Ollivanders, makers of fine wands since 382, BC."

He was speaking enthusiastically, but there was a level of world-weariness in his voice, that made him sound a little haggard.

"I recall two of you as past customers," he said looking at Mrs. Hardwick and Mrs. Thompson, before turning to Mrs. Larker and Mrs. Gold, "but I don't remember either of you...were neither of you customers of mine?"

"I attended Durmstrang during my schooling," said Mrs. Larker, pulling out her own wand, "my son and I lived in Norway, but moved down to the United Kingdom after I remarried to accomodate my husband's work. So Tord is attending Hogwarts now."

"Ah," said Mr. Ollivander, before turning to Mrs. Gold, "and you?"

"Oh, I'm what you would call a muggle!" said Mrs. Gold, chuckling, "But my son is attending Hogwarts! I went wand shopping with my daughter once, but we didn't come here...she had a different education route in mind."

Mr. Ollivander looked a little disappointed at the statements of someone choosing to purchase wands from different sellers but then he looked at Edd, Tom, Matt and Tord and smiled.

"Well now, which one of you would like to go first?"

"You go first, Edd!" said Matt, cheerfully.

"Wha? Really?" asked Edd.

"Of course," said Tom, "this is your first time, after all!"

"Go ahead, Edd," said Tord with a grin.

"Well okay then," said Edd stepping forward, "I'll go first!"

Ollivander nodded and said "Now, which arm is your wand arm?"

Edd paused, then turned to look at the others. Tom facepalmed, Matt giggled and Tord called out "He's right-handed!"

"Ah," said Ollivander, pulling out a tape measure which promptly began floating, "now, hold out your right arm, please. That's it. Now, as you may know, Edd, each Ollivander wand contains a core made from a powerful magical substance. We use unicorn hair, phoenix tail feathers and the heartstrings of dragons."

"And those are all real, right?" asked Edd.

"...Yes." said Ollivander.

"Just WANDering!" said Edd, giving a cheery chuckle after his pun.

"Well now," said Ollivander, walking over to the shelves as the tape measure continued measuring Edd's arm, "no two Ollivander wands are exactly the same, just as no two dragons, phoenixes or unicorns are ever quite the same. And you will never get such good results from another wizard's wand. That's enough!"

He snapped his fingers, causing the tape measure put itself away, before pulling a box from the wall. 

"Dogwood," he muttered, pulling the wand out of the box, "ten inches, reasonably supple, with a dragon heartstring core...try this."

Edd took the wand by the handle, looking at it with a smile.

"Now what?" asked Edd.

"Wave it, Edd!" said Tom happily.

"Okay then," said Edd smiling. He waved the wand and accidentally made a nearby set of flowers wilt. Edd and his friends all started laughing, his mother swiftly began apologizing to Mr. Ollivander, who just gave her a reassuring chuckle.

"Not to worry, ma'am," Mr. Ollivander said as he restored the flowers with a flick of his own wand, "it's all part of the process! We'll sort your son out, don't you fret!" 

Mr. Ollivander picked another box out, setting it on the counter and opening it, revealing a somewhat longer wand.

"Hazel, eleven and three-quarter inches, quite bendy, with a unicorn hair core...try this one."

Edd looked over the wand, then waved it. The nearby ladder promptly glided on its wheels and crashed into one of the shelves, causing the wand boxes to fall out and the wood to break.

Once again, Ollivander pulled his own wand out and waved it, this time shouting "Reparo!" and sure enough, the wand boxes and shelves returned to normal.

"I like this one!" said Edd, prompting a chorus of laughter from his friends (and Mrs. Hardwick) and an annoyed reaction from his mother.

"But I don't think it likes you," said Mr. Ollivander, taking the wand back and placing it next to the other one...which Matt promptly eyed curiously, "But we'll find you the right wand, don't worry."

He picked yet another box from the shelf, carrying it over to the counter. He smiled as he opened the box, raising a wand of pitch black wood from the box.

"Now then, try...this, Edd."

Edd touched the handle of the wand and his eyes went wide as a sudden, pleasant warmth flowed into his fingers and hand. He stared at the wand and a smile slowly appeared on his face. He proceeded to wave the wand and, to the surprise of everyone present, sent a bright, vibrant spark of crimson and gold light into the air like a firework. Edd's smile widened, and so did Ollivander's. Edd looked to his friends, Tom and Tord both giving him a thumbs up, and his mother, who looked excited.

"I _really_ like this one!" said Edd happily, "Can I get this one?"

"Of course, Edd," said Mr. Ollivander, "for you see, that wand chose _you._"

"It did?" asked Edd, looking down at his wand.

"We who work with Wandlore have always observed that the wand chooses the wizard. It isn't clear why. If I may?"

Edd handed the wand to Ollivander, who examined it closely.

"A wand of ebony, surprisingly swishy...it's eleven and a half inches and I remember with great clarity the phoenix whose feather is now its core...there you are..."

He placed the wand back into the box and handed it to Edd.

"Thanks Mr. Ollivander!" said Edd.

"Oh Edd," said Mrs. Gold, pulling her son into a hug, "I'm so proud of you!"

"AHHHH!"

Mr. Ollivander, Edd, Tord and all four mothers turned to look at Tom and Matt. Matt was holding the Dogwood wand, which was spraying sparks everywhere. It evidently hadn't chosen Matt.

"Oh dear," said Mr. Ollivander, "shall we find wands for you boys next?"

\----

Tom and Tord obtained their wands more quickly. Tom went through a single wand before one--a rigid red oak wand with a dragon heartstring core, same length as Edd's--finally chose him. Meanwhile, Tord, according to Ollivander was chosen by his the moment he stepped into the shop--a very flexible vine wand, twelve inches, with a dragon heartstring core.

Apparently, vine wands just behaved that way.

Matt was the one having trouble. He managed to sift through at least twenty different wands, each with increasingly more disastrous results, though Mr. Ollivander didn't seem keen on quitting--the more wands failed, the happier he seemed to become. Eventually Matt sighed and looked down at the wands, then over at his mother miserably.

"Mum, what if none of them will pick me?" he asked.

"Oh Matt-" began Mrs. Hardwick before Ollivander interrupted.

"Nonsense!" said Mr. Ollivander, "I have never met a wizard who was not destined for a wand! Just keep trying and-"

"Mr. Ollivander," said Mrs. Hardwick, "I'll handle this. Matt, you'll find one! I'll tell you what, how about you and I head to Madam Malkins and do the robe shopping. I'll pick out your robes, you can look at your beautiful face in the mirrors and then we'll come back later!"

"Okay, mum," said Matt, putting the wand back on the counter with the rest, which Ollivander promptly packed back up with his wand.

As Matt was about to leave, he caught sight of one of the wands Edd previously tried lying on the floor. In his many attempts to get the others to work, it must've been dropped.

"Mr. Ollivander, you missed one!" said Matt as he picked up the wand...and then suddenly froze in his tracks and said "...Woooow..."

Everyone turned to look at Matt in confusion...except Ollivander, who simply gave a knowing smile.

"What was that, young Mr. Hardwick?" asked Ollivander.

"...Actually, Mr. Ollivander," said Matt, a smile slowly forming on his face, "I think I'll keep this one!"

Edd, Tom and Tord all smiled at their friend and his mother's eyes welled up with tears of pride and joy.

And Ollivander turned to Edd and said... 

"This might be why the hazel wand didn't work for you."

\----

Their next stop was Flourish and Blotts, the place to buy the textbooks of the Wizarding World. 

"So which books are we getting?" asked Edd.

Tom handed Edd the list and said "Right here."

Edd looked over it. It said...

* _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1_ by Miranda Goshawk  
* _A History of Magic_ by the late Bathilda Bagshot  
* _Magical Theory_ by Aldabert Waffling  
* _A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration_ by Emeric Switch  
* _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_ by Phyllida Spore  
* _Magical Drafts and Potions_ by Arsenius Jigger  
* _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ by Newt Scamander  
* _The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection_ by Quentin Trimble

Edd chuckled a little at the titles. He knew these things were real, of course, but having been brought up among muggles led to him feeling like the book's titles and author names feel a tiny bit silly. Especially since some of them were puns--and Edd loved puns.

Edd looked through the shop for the books, swiftly managing to find _The Standard Book of Spells_, _A History of Magic_ and _Magical Theory_ (all the ones Edd thought would probably be boring), but at the moment, couldn't find the others.

"Hey, Edd!" called out Tom, holding a basket full of books, "You need any help?"

"I only managed to find the first three!" said Edd running over to Tom, "Have you managed to find any more?"

"Mum found most of them for me," said Tom, shrugging, "I did manage to find _Magical Drafts and Potions_ if you want some help."

"Yes please!" said Edd as he followed Tom.

Tord arrived with two copies of _The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection_, one for him and one for Edd, and handed Edd's copy to him, prompting a smile from Edd. Matt meanwhile had attempted to get a copy of _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ from a nearby pile, which promptly collapsed and buried him in books, resulting in an angry reaction from the manager and his assistant.

Edd finally managed to gather up his books, and he and his friends scrambled to the front desk, Edd placing 13 Galleons on the table.

"I'll take these!" said Edd.

The shopkeep looked over the books and noticed something.

"You want the _source_ book for _History of Magic_ and not the actual textbook?"

"WHAT!?" shouted Edd.

Edd snatched the book and sure enough, it said "_Sources for 'History of Magic'_" rather than the actual _History of Magic_. Angry, Edd snatched up the book and ran off to find the real one.

"Hello, Edd!" said his mother, "Looking for this?"

She was holding the real copy of _History of Magic_, prompting Edd to nod and take it before heading to the front desk with it.

\----

While their mothers bought the less exciting supplies (the telescope, the brass scales, the pewter cauldron and the phials), the boys went on to Madam Malkins' Robes for All Occasions, where they'd be buying and getting fitted for their school uniforms. But more importantly, Matt wanted to stare at himself in the mirrors there.

Sure enough, Matt ran in front of the mirror, which was sparkling brightly. Tord walked up to him with a smile, as turned to him and said "I hear these mirrors are enchanted to talk to their customers! And that they always compliment their customers' good looks!"

Matt stared at the mirror, a wide smile on his face. The mirror soon spoke. It said, in a cheery, female voice: "Merlin's Beard! Who dressed you, a blind troll!?"

Tord burst out laughing while Matt glowered angrily at the mirror.

Edd and Tom, meanwhile, were getting fitted. Tape measure, once again, floated and started measuring the two of them, as Madam Malkin and her assistant helped them with their fitting, looking over the long black robes draped over their shoulders.

"So you're going to Hogwarts, then?" asked Madam Malkin with a smile, "I'm always happy to provide proper uniforms for the upcoming schoolyear!"

"How much is this going to cost?" asked Tom.

"The full set is simply five galleons. Not including the nametags and the dragon-hide gloves."

"How much for the gloves and nametags?"

"Ten sickles for the nametags, three galleons and eleven sickles for the gloves!"

"Glad it's not highway _robery_!" said Edd, cheerfully, prompting a laugh from Madam Malkin, "But let's talk more about those gloves...are they _really_ made from dragon skin?"

"Yes!" said Madam Malkin, getting out her wand, "Would you like to see?"

"Would I!?" said an excited Edd.

Madam Malkin smiled and, with a swish of her wand, said "Accio Gloves!"

A pair of gloves floated toward her, both covered in thick, shiny black scales. Edd beamed excitedly at the sight of them and Tom chuckled.

"We use different breeds of dragons. These ones are from a Norwegian Ridgeback!"

"Norwegian, eh?" asked Edd, smiling, "Hey Tord-"

"If you say a single word, Edd, I'll turn you into a slug."

"Wait," said Tom, "where did Matt go?"

Sure enough, Matt returned, wearing an outfit consisting of elegant black dress robes and a large top hat.

"Alright! Now the mirror's gotta compliment me!" he said.

"Goodness!" said the mirror, "This one is even more hideous than the last one! Oh wait, it's the same person in a different outfit. Well either way, you look like a fool!"

Matt groaned and the other boys laughed again.

\----

"Looks like we've got all your school supplies!" said Mrs. Hardwick as she and the other moms picked their children up from Madam Malkins, "And with plenty of time to spare too!"

"What should we do now?" asked Mrs. Gold.

"Mum!" said Edd, happily, "Can we each get something special as a gift? Like something not for school?"

The mothers looked at each other and smiled.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt." said Mrs. Thompson.

"Of course," said Mrs. Larker, "I'd say they've earned it. Here..."

She pulled out some coins and put them in a bag.

"You boys can head off and buy some nice stuff for yourselves. Then meet us at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour."

"Thanks mom!" said Tord happily. He and his friends promptly headed off together.

\----

"So what shall we do first?" asked Matt.

"I kinda want a pet!" said Edd, "The list does say we can bring an owl, a cat or a toad!"

"I told you, no one's getting a toad," said Tom, "they went out of fashion years ago. Whoever picks a toad will be the laughing stock of the whole school, and the rest of us will be laughing stocks for associating with him!"

"You're an asshole, Tom." said Tord.

"Shut up, Sunshine Lollipops!"

"Guys!" said Edd, getting between his friends to keep them from fighting, "C'mon, let's just calm down and go to the nearest pet shop!"

"You have two choices!" said Matt, "The Magical Menagerie or Eeylops Owl Emporium! Or Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, if you want a Pygmy Puff!"

"Or just to meet two of the Wizarding World's greatest heroes." sneered Tord.

"Which do you guys wanna go to first?" asked Edd.

"Let's start with the Magical Menagerie," said Tom, "there are more options there."

"Well okay then!" said Edd smiling happily, "Um...where is it?"

"This way," said Tom, pointing to a large building with multiple cages in the window, "c'mon."

\----

The Magical Menagerie was not the most pleasant place for the boys, and Tom in particular seemed to regret entering immediately. It was cramped, covered wall to wall in cages with various animals in them. 

Edd caught sight of some relatively normal looking animals, like a whole lot of cats, all in different colors, a cage of noisy ravens and a few large fruit bats hanging in a nearby aviary. However, he also saw many unusual creatures. There was a huge tortoise with a gem encrusted shell was napping in the sun next to one of the windows; a small brightly colored bird sitting on a perch hanging overhead, singing a melodious but slightly irritating song; large purple snails whose shells were slowly changing to red; a basket of cream-colored furballs that were making a humming sound; huge purple toads eating dead flies; a rabbit that transformed into a silk top hat...the list went on.

Edd looked around for something as an old witch entered the room, holding a small irritated looking platypus-like creature in her hands. 

"What did I tell you about stealing the money from the register?" she said, scolding the creature before opening the register, "Now empty the pouch..."

The creature glared at her. She glared back. Eventually, the creature proceeded to open a little pouch on its belly, prompting a seemingly limitless amount of Galleons, Sickles and Knuts to shower into the register. 

Edd stared in astonishment as this continued, before eventually the animal's pouch was completely emptied, and the woman carried it off to a nearby cage, which she promptly locked as securely as possible. 

"I apologize, young sirs," she said, smiling as she turned to the boys, "it was a Niffler. They're _very_ fond of shiny things. I don't recommend them as pets for beginners. How can I help you boys?"

"Well, that bird up there is pretty!" said Matt, pointing to the noisy, brightly colored bird on the perch.

"Ah!" shouted the witch, pulling her wand from her pocket, "I thought I silenced that Fwooper already! SILENCIO!"

With a flick of her wand, the bird's beak clamped shut. Then the bird continued singing, but no music was coming out of its beak.

"Cool!" said Edd, smiling.

"A Fwooper would not be a good pet for you," the shopkeeper said, frowning, "they require special licenses, and you're much too young."

"That's fine," said Tom, "we're new Hogwarts students."

"I thought so," said the lady, smiling, "we have plenty of toads and cats here, and a few owls...though Eeylops has the monopoly on those..."

"We'll just look around," said Tom, "c'mon, guys."

Tom looked down at a large incubator with the label "Diricawl Eggs - 6 Galleons Each" on it; Tord was staring at a cage with some baby Nifflers in it; Matt found a large broken cage with the label "Unidentifiable" on it; and Edd was soon drawn to a large pen in the middle of the shop with the label "Half-Kneazle Cats - 9 Galleons".

Edd knelt down and saw a little grey cat with black stripes in the Half-Kneazle Cat pen. The cat looked up at Edd with a pair of bright green eyes, a smile seemingly appearing on her face, and Edd smiled back happily before picking up the cat and turning to Tom.

"I want this one!" he said, "She's cute!"

"Nice," said Tom, "I'm not interested in any of the animals here, myself."

"Neither am I," said Tord, "too many cute things, not enough dangerous things."

"Miss!" called out Edd, heading over to the counter with the cat, "I would like to purchase this cat!"

"Ah," said the shopkeep, smiling as she took the cat and looked her over, "you've made an excellent choice! This cat is a half-Kneazle!"

"Cool!" said Edd, before pausing and asking "What's a Kneazle?"

"Kneazles are magical, highly intelligent cats," said the shopkeep, "they can detect untrustworthy individuals and can even guard your home! Cats that are part-Kneazle can do the same things. Now, purebred Kneazles usually require licenses since they are strange-looking enough to arouse Muggle suspicion, but fortunately half-Kneazle cats nearly always look like their cat parents instead of their Kneazle parents, so you won't have to worry about it with this cat!"

"Oh, cool!" said Edd happily, "So I'm guessing that'll be 9 Galleons?"

"Yes, thank you!" said the shopkeep as Edd placed the Galleons on the counter, "Would you like a carrying case?"

The cat responded by jumping on Edd's shoulder and Edd said "Nah."

"Hey, where's Matt?" asked Tord.

"AAAAAUGH!!! NOT THE FACE!!!!!"

Everyone turned to see Matt being dragged behind a nearby shelf by some large, horrifying creature. Edd, Tom and Tord were surprised and the shopkeep just groaned.

"Oh great, the Unidentifiable Thing escaped again!"

\----

Edd had bought his special present, so now Tom, Matt and Tord had left to do the same. The cat was sitting happily on Edd's shoulder as they walked around Diagon Alley looking for another shop.

"What are you gonna name him, Edd?" asked Matt looking at the cat.

"I'm gonna name _her_ Ringo!" said Edd smiling as he scratched behind the cat's ear.

Tom looked around and said "If we're still buying pets, should we try Eeylops Owl Emporium?"

"Sure!" said Edd, smiling, "Do you want an owl, Tom?"

"Er, maybe," said Tom, "I've heard owls are helpful at least."

"Having a pet owl sounds cool!" said Edd cheerfully.

"No offense, Edd," said Tord, "but you probably only think that 'cause you've lived in the muggle world for so long."

"Heh, yeah, probably," said Edd with a chuckle.

With no further interjections, the four boys all headed to Eeylops Owl Emporium. The interior was rather dark, the main light being from a small lamp on a nearby table. The shop looked a lot bigger on the inside than it did on the outside, with a very high ceiling. Owls were perched in nooks on the walls, and on perches that hung from the ceiling, and while there were birdcages in the shop, all of them were empty.

The manager was petting a very large eagle owl sitting on a tall perch next to the front counter when he saw the boys enter. The manager looked a little bit like an owl himself, with a round, domed head, a small, beaklike nose and round eyes that were magnified by a pair of large round glasses. Smiling at the four, he stepped forward and said "Ah, welcome! Please, come in, come in!"

He ushered them in with a smile, continuing with "Welcome to Eeylops Owl Emporium! Tawney, Screech, Barn, Snowy or Eagle, for all your Feathered Friends' Requirements, this is the place to go! How may I help you?"

"We're new Hogwarts students!" said Edd, "I already bought a cat, but one of my friends wants an owl!"

Tom blushed and muttered "I MIGHT want an owl."

"Well if you pick an owl, you'll be glad you did!" said the manager, "Wizarding owls are clever creatures, capable messengers and loyal companions!" 

"'Wizarding' owls?" asked Edd.

"Oh yes!" said the manager, "Wizardkind has been domesticating owls for thousands of years, in the same ways that muggles domesticated dogs and cats! Magic certainly helped, of course, but it was one of the few things we were able to acheive without having to rely on our powers. Our owls are not _quite_ like wild owls as a result. That said, they're mostly outdoor pets, best allowed to fly free, not confined to their cages under normal circumstances."

"What do they eat, then?" asked Tord, as he and Matt looked around, Matt petting a small screech owl.

"They hunt their own food, mostly, but of course, if one of you purchases an owl, you can also buy a nice box of owl treats for them! Taste just like mice!"

Edd nodded in understanding as Tom kept looking about. Tord admired a very large and angry looking eagle owl staring down at him from its perch, before watching it fly off.

"Hey Tom!" said Edd, looking up at one of the perches, "That owl looks kinda like you!"

Tom looked at him and then at the owl he was pointing to--it was a barn owl with light brown feathers, staring down at them both with its wide black eyes.

"That's not very nice," said Tom with a smirk, before putting on one of the dragon-hide gloves that was in a nearby basket and holding out his arm, "c'mere...c'mere boy..."

The owl looked down at Tom then fluttered down silently from its perch, resting on Tom's gloved hand. Its deep black eyes locked onto his own, and Tom had to admit, he could see the resemblance. 

The barn owl sidled up to Tom and nuzzled him affectionately, which swiftly sealed the deal. Tom smiled and happily at this and said "I-I think I want this one."

Edd rushed up to him and said "How much is it?" before looking through the bag of coins.

"You don't have to do that, Edd." said Tom.

"Nonsense, Tom!" said Edd, smiling as he checked the prices and pulled out ten Galleons, "You deserve a nice gift! Here you go!"

"Wonderful!" said the shopkeep, taking the Galleons and turning to Tom, "I'm sure you two will be great friends! Here, before you go, take these--complementary carrying cage and Owl Treats!"

He pulled out a large metal bird cage with a perch in it and an orange box with an owl silhouette and the label "Eeylops Premium Owl Treats" on it.

"Remember," added the manager, as Tom coaxed his new owl into the cage, "the cage is ONLY for easy transport. It is far too small to act as your owl's home."

\----

"His name's Mr. Muffin." said Tom, smiling as he looked at the owl, which was now sleeping soundly with his head tucked under his wing. Tord snickered in response to the name.

"Why?"

"I dunno," said Tom, "guess 'cause he's cute and soft looking?"

"So where shall we shop next?" said Matt, happily, "I was thinking of hitting up Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes!"

"I was thinking of heading to Borgin and Burke's myself..." smirked Tord.

"We're NOT going to Knockturne Alley, Tord!" said Tom.

"What's Knockturne Alley?" asked Edd, but before his question could be answered, he heard a familiar voice.

"Now THAT'S a broomstick!" said the voice, deep and with a hint of a New York accent.

_"Eduardoooooo..."_ said Edd angrily as he caught sight of his longtime rival, Eduardo, flanked by his friends Jon, Mark and Laurel, staring into the window of Quality Quidditch Supplies and salivating over a broom in the display.

"It's pretty expensive, Eduardo," said Jon, who had a tiny, bright purple toad on his shoulder, "are you sure you can afford it?"

"Of course I can, moron!" said Eduardo, "Don't be so stupid!"

"It's a lovely model," said Laurel, smiling, "they'd have to put you on the team if you had this!"

"You're tellin' me!" grinned Eduardo.

"You _do_ realize that you're not allowed to bring your own broomstick, right Eduardo?" asked Mark, sternly.

"YES, I know that!" said Eduardo, his tone making it obvious that he had forgotten until Mark brought it up.

"Just making sure..." Mark said with a smirk. Eduardo just glared at Mark for this reminder before turning to see Edd and his friends, looking alarmed at the sight of Edd in particular.

"Edd!?" he asked looking annoyed, "I thought you were a No-Maj..."

"A what?" whispered Edd to the others.

"The American word for muggle." said Tord.

"Oh," said Edd, "well turns out I'm NOT a muggle, Eduardo! I'm as magic as any of you!"

"Congratulations, Edd!" said Laurel, cheerfully.

"Yeah," said Jon, who Edd knew was also muggleborn, "I'll admit, I was also worried I wouldn't be a wizard..."

"Yeah, well I'm still skeptical..." sneered Eduardo, "towards BOTH of you."

"Lay off him, Eduardo." said Tord, pointing his wand at the taller boy threateningly, as Tom and Matt joined him in blocking him from Edd. Eduardo, however, just laughed.

"HA! You boys really are stupid!" he said, "You're not allowed to use magic outside of school! You lay one spell on me and you'll all be expelled before you can even board the train! Actually, that sounds great! Go ahead and hex me, it'll be worth it!"

Tord paused, then sneered. He proceeded to wave his wand a little before swiftly pocketing it, turning, using his hands to open Mr. Muffin's cage and waking him up. The owl let out an angry screech at having been roused from his nap and immediately soared over to Eduardo, who let out a loud yell and started shouting curse words in Spanish while swatting and batting at the bird scratching and pecking at his face, all while Mark, Jon and Laurel tried to help him out and Tord just grinned with satisfaction.

"You think that was a little harsh?" asked Edd as they all prepared to leave. Matt and Tom looked at each other and then said "Nah."

The four set off to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, but not before Tom whistled for Mr. Muffin to fly back to him.

\----

They entered Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and were immediately bombarded with the sounds of firecrackers, explosives and popping bubbles. This is what prompted them to decide that this trip was going to be fun.

The shop was very large and the walls were covered in bright vibrant colors and the helves were adorned with the various joke products and strange magical sweets. There were large birdcages and baskets with little round fluffballs, purple or pink in color and with little puppy-like faces. 

There were various displays, including one with pink bottles of "Love Potions"; another with candies designed to make people sick, along with what's said to be a "Skiving Snackbox", apparently containing all of the sweets, at the base of the display; one labeled "Muggle Magic", which had muggle pranks and magic tricks; and even a display of beauty products called "WonderWitch". Matt was fairly interested in that last one. Decorations adorned the walls and ceilings, including a tightrope with a plastic, toadlike witch on a unicycle rolling along it, shrieking "I WILL HAVE ORDER!" over and over in a shrill, squeaky voice.

This shop was particularly packed, with kids running around, clearly having fun. Some were sampling treats, which had strange magical effects on them, like making their tongues grow larger than normal, giving them nosebleeds or causing them to faint. A boy with very large eyebrows threw a Fanged Frisbee at a boy with feathery looking bangs. Two blond kids in overalls--one boy around their ages with hair styled like cat ears and a little girl with pigtails--were snatching up as many giant firecrackers as they could, while an exhausted-looking girl with long brown hair, an orange hoodie and a large green hat tried to talk them out of it. A grinning boy about a year older than them with unruly brown hair was standing in front of the Muggle Magic stand, while a boy with pale hair and an eyepatch stood next to him, looking bored. Two black-haired boys, one with curly hair and another wearing a lion hat were talking near the front desk, while a boy with green hair was running from a set of firecrackers.

Edd smiled happily as he looked around at the various weird prank items all throughout the shop and quickly found himself taking notice of a display labeled "Headless Hats" that was covered in hates with feathers all over them. Tom was staring at a box labeled "Magical Mustache Miracle Stubble Grow", while Tord seemed more interested in the pretty blond woman who was working at the front counter, with the nametag reading "Hello, my name is Verity".

Matt meanwhile was getting people walking up to him and asking for help. Matt groaned and said "I don't work here."

"But aren't you a Weasley?"

"No," said Matt, angrily, "I just have red hair! And it's not even ACTUALLY red! It's strawberry blond!"

Edd laughed before grabbing one of the Headless Hats and placed it on his head. Nothing seemed different, until Matt shouted "Edd, what happened to your head!?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Edd. Matt laughed and held up a mirror from the Wonder Witch display. To Edd's surprise, he found that his head was gone. Even the hat wasn't there.

"Ah," said Tom, heading over, now sporting a small beard, "I see Edd found the Headless Hats."

Edd took off the hat causing his head to come back. 

"I like this one!" he said, "I can see plenty of pun potential in it!"

"I like these beard makers," said Tom, "I think I'd buy them if I didn't already get Mr. Muffin."

"Anything you like, Matt?" asked Tord, trying to choose between a Fanged Frisbee and a Reusable Hangman.

"The full WonderWitch set was a little too expensive. I kinda want a pet, to be honest, and I'm not sure if I want a Pygmy Puff or not."

"Don't you want something for your novelty toy collection or something?" asked Tom.

"Nah, I've already got a lot of this stuff for my collection!" said Matt.

"I have an idea, here," said Edd, handing Matt some of the coins, "how about you try to make a decision on your own!"

"Well okay then!" said Matt, happily as he left. They heard someone trying to ask "Are you related to the owners?" as he walked past them, prompting Matt to shout "FOR THE LAST TIME, NO I JUST HAVE RED HAIR!" 

"In the meantime," said Edd, "you guys wanna buy these things or what?"

"You already bought me my gift, Edd," said Tom, "but then, I might as well buy myself another..."

"After weighing my options," said Tord, putting his two options away, "I think I'll wait until I can check out some of the other shops."

"Well then, Tom," said Edd, "let's get to the front desk!"

\----

"You bought a barrel of butterbeer!?" asked Tom.

"Yep!" said Matt, smiling, "I went with my instincts and my instincts told me to a whole big barrel of butterbeer!" 

"But why?" asked Edd.

"Well first off, butterbeer is _delicious_. Second off, I figured since we won't be able to go to Hogsmeade during our first year, I might as well buy this."

"Well okay then," said Edd, smiling, "in the meantime, I picked something up for you!"

Edd handed him the present he bought him. It was a magical mirror, which Matt immediately beamed at.

"Edd, this is for me? I love it! Thank you so much!"

Matt gave Edd a hug and Edd smiled.

"You're welcome! I got one that can talk! Don't worry, this one will definitely compliment you!"

"Really?"

"Merlin's beard!" said the mirror, "I've never seen such a strong chin!"

Matt squealed with joy. Just as this was going on, Tord arrived, running in with the coin bag; Tord had requested a solo shopping trip after they left Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

"Tord," said Tom, somewhat suspiciously, "which shop did you go to?"

"Huh?" asked Tord, "Oh! It, uh, doesn't matter, they...they didn't have anything I liked...but I DID decide to buy a Reusable Hangman, see? I figured we could all play it together."

Tord held up a box for said game. Tom raised an eyebrow skeptically and said "Okay then..."

"Have we got everything we need?"

"I think so," said Tom, "Matt?"

"Yep!" said Matt happily, "Tord?"

"Certainly."

"Well then let's go," said Edd, "our moms are waiting for us at Florean Fortescue's!"

\----

The boys arrived at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, meeting their mothers, sitting at a table outside of it.

"Hey mom!" said Edd, happily, "Meet Ringo! She's part kneazle!"

"How sweet!" said Mrs. Gold, petting Ringo, "...What's a Kneazle?"

"So do you boys want here?" asked Mrs. Thompson, holding up a menu.

"Butterbeer ice cream sounds good," said Edd.

"It is," said Tom, "I'll take some too."

"Make that three," said Tord, "Matt?"

Matt sat there for a moment and then made a realization.

"I just remembered...I don't like ice cream!"

Everyone just stared at him.

"It's too cold! It hurts my teeth!"

Everyone ended up laughing.

\----

After the shopping trip, Edd and his friends ended up heading back home that afternoon.

"I wanna have a sleepover, mum!" said Edd, smiling, "To celebrate the shopping trip!"

"That sounds like a great idea," said Mrs. Gold, happily, "if it's alright with the other moms, of course!"

"Of course," said Mrs. Hardwick, happily, "you boys certainly had a successful trip, after all!"

"Agreed," said Mrs. Thompson, "C'mon, we head to the Golds' house."

The boys returned home with their mothers, their stuff packed up and taken inside. Edd let Ringo out, putting her cat bed down, while Tom allowed Mr. Muffin to fly outside, pointing him to the direction of his house (which was next door to Edd's house). Edd's bed was made, while the boys put some sleeping bags down. 

"So tell me more about Hogwarts," said Edd, happily, "what kind of classes do they teach? Oh! Is there an art class? We won't have to take gym, will we?"

"Slow down, Edd," said Tord, laughing, "mother told me that art class is taken as an extracurricular for Third Years, so you'll have to wait for that one."

Edd looked disappointed. Tom continued for Tord.

"As for the classes," said Tom, "there's a core curriculum of Astronomy, Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Flying, Herbology, History of Magic, Potions and Transfiguration. Flying is pretty much the Wizarding version of gym class."

"Those sound pretty interesting!" said Edd, cheerfully.

"I think we'll have lots of fun," said Matt, still staring into the magic mirror that Edd gave him, "if the Sorting Hat puts us in the same House, we'll have the same dorms to hang out in too!"

"Sorting Hat?" asked Edd.

"A magic talking hat that sorts students into the school's four houses." said Tom.

"Cool!" said Edd, smiling.

"We'd probably end up in the same one anyway," said Tord, leaning back and holding the Reusable Hangman, "in the meantime, you guys wanna play?"

"Totally!" said Matt sitting up as Edd jumped down from his bed and Tom scooted forward to join them. The toy looked like a typewriter with a gallows on it, and a crude plastic figurine of a toadlike woman wearing pink as the one who would "hang".

\----

When September 1st finally arrived, Edd's family drove to King's Cross to meet with Tom, Matt and Tord's families at the Hogwarts Express. This time, the first ones to greet them were Tom and his mother.

"Come along," said Mrs. Thompson, looking at Edd and his mother, "we have to get to Platform 9¾ before 11 o'clock!"

"9¾?" asked Mrs. Gold.

"What, you thought the Hogwarts Express was going to be perfectly visible to Muggles?" asked Mrs. Thompson, snidely as she led Edd, his mother and siblings and Tom to Platforms 9 and 10, where Matt and Tord's families were already waiting.

"You wanna go first, Edd?" asked Tom.

"Go where?" asked Edd.

"Oh yeah," said Mrs. Larker, "he doesn't know. Tord, would you like to demonstrate?"

Tord smirked and ran over to the barrier...and then _through_ it.

Edd gasped as did Mrs. Gold and Edd's brother and sister.

"You may want to go through as soon as you can," said Mrs. Thompson, "you don't have to worry, Muggles are allowed through too."

Edd shrugged and ran through as well. He was quite shocked to find himself in what appeared to be a completely different train station, one with an absolutely beautiful red train. He stared at the gorgeous train as his mother and siblings followed him through the barrier. His siblings laughed while his mother stared out in shock.

"Well..." she said, "I'd be fine with never doing that again..."

Edd laughed, only to suddenly be pushed forward by Matt running through the barrier as well, with Tom following close behind.

"Great to finally be heading off, huh Edd?" asked Tom, looking at Edd with a smile.

"Yeah," said Edd, looking at the Hogwarts Express, "the train is beautiful!"

"...You look a little too happy about that," said Tord.

"Hey, I like trains!" said Edd, prompting his friends to start laughing.

The boys said their goodbyes to their mothers, Edd to his siblings, Tord and Matt to their fathers and so on, Edd getting a hug from Mrs. Gold as the steam from the train chugged out.

"I'm so proud of you, Edd!" she said.

"Thanks mom!" said Edd smiling, as he proceeded to leave with his bags and Ringo's case, "I'll see you at the end of the school year! Love you!"

"Love you too, honey!" said Mrs. Gold, waving goodbye as Edd, Tom, Matt and Tord boarded the train, "Have fun at Hogwarts!"

"Write to us, Edd!" called out his brother.

With that, the families watched their kids leave on the train.

\----

Upon boarding the Hogwarts Express, Edd and his friends found a compartment where they could sit together. Tom and Matt sat on one side while Tord and Edd sat on the other, and Matt and Tord had bought them candy from the Trolley Witch. 

"I am so excited!" said Edd, "I've been wanting to do magic ever since I met you guys!"

"We're glad too, Edd," said Tom, taking a swig of Pumpkin Juice, "we were almost worried you'd be left out."

"Yeah," said Matt, trading a Chocolate Frog Card of Andros the Invincible to Tord for a card of Celestina Warbeck, having changed his own face to look like Andros, "it's great that you're coming with us! I don't think I'd be able to keep Tom and Tord from killing each other as well as you can!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Tord.

"Here Edd," said Tom, handing Edd a blue and gold box that said "Chocolate Frog - 70% Finest Croakoa". Edd smiled at the pun.

"It's a Chocolate Frog, to celebrate your first day to Hogwarts." Tom continued, grinning, "It comes with a collectable card too!"

Edd opened the box to reveal a moving frog made out of pure chocolate. The frog jumped into Edd's hand and croaked. Edd frowned.

"What's wrong, Edd?" asked Matt.

"I can't eat this!" said Edd, pointing to the frog, "It's alive, and if I eat it, it'll die! I should keep it alive, or set it free!"

"Edd," said Tom, "it's made out of _chocolate_. If you don't eat it, it'll just melt. You'll only be forcing it to deal with an even worse death."

Edd paused.

"Yeah," he said, "you're probably right."

Edd proceeded to bite the Chocolate Frog's head off, paused again and smiled wide, "Oh my god there's crunchy candies inside it!"

Edd ate the rest of the Frog, while his friends all laughed. As Edd finished the Frog, he leaned back and looked at the card he got.

"Oh hey, I got Harry Potter!" he said.

"Cool!" said Matt, "That's one of the rarest ones!"

Edd looked up at the ceiling with a happy sigh.

"I want us to be able to hang out like this when we go to Hogwarts too!" said Edd, smiling, "Let's make a promise! No matter what, we'll make sure the Sorting Hat puts us in the same House, agreed?"

"Agreed!" said Tom.

"Indubitably!" said Matt.

"Yes!" said Tord.

The four of them continued talking and having fun as the day slowly got darker and the train began to pull into a big train station. Standing at the station was a giant of a man with a huge, tangled black beard holding a bright lantern in his trashbin lid sized hand.

"First years, this way!" called out the huge man, "Come along now!"

\----

Edd, Tom, Matt and Tord gathered on the large boats of the Black Lake, floating towards the enormous figure of Hogwarts Castle.

The school year was about to begin...

\----

_Dear mum,_

_Ringo and I just got settled! There are nice, spacious dorms here! I was sorted into Gryffindor House! According to the talking hat, that means I'm brave!_

_The bad news is that Tom, Matt and Tord got into different houses, meaning they can't join me in the dorms. Based on the hat's comments, I assume Matt's means he's nice, Tom's means he's smart and Tord's means he's sneaky? I dunno._

_We have our first classes tomorrow morning! I can't wait to tell you all about it! I think it'll be a lot of fun!_

_Miss you!_

_Love, Edd_

Mrs. Gold sighed as she looked at the parchment in her hands. She petted the owl that had perched on her bedroom window, which gave a content hooting in response. 

Mrs. Gold had always known there was something magical about her son, just as there was for her daughter before him. Rolling up the parchment, she sat down and prepared to write a response letter to send back to Edd.

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact: The textbook mix up was based on something that happened to me once--my dad was supposed to buy my history textbook for college, but got the source book for said textbook instead, which was bad for me because it was pretty much useless for the class in question.
> 
> Also, this is the first time I've revealed my ideas for each of the boys' wands!


End file.
